Who will make it on to the New Year Honours List this year?
Video / NZHerald
For services to community-led development, governance, and education, Mary-Jane Rivers has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours.
Rivers, from Ōtaki, has been a leader and innovator across several fields in her career and voluntary work, through her localcommunities, senior public sector roles, and later, adult and community education, community-led development and international development. She is one of 151 New Zealanders recognised in the 2024 New Year Honours.
One of her first feats was in 1970, when she helped found the first Women’s Refuge in the North Island. She was also the first policy director in the Ministry for Women, and the first CEO of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, before consulting on social and organisational development.
Rivers also founded Inspiring Communities in 2006 and led its creation until 2011 before serving on the board.
Inspiring Communities has been significant in demonstrating the value and impact of locally-led development, including responses to complex issues such as equity, climate change and economic development.
Rivers says founding Inspiring Communities, and watching it flourish and grow since, has been the highlight of her career.
Mary-Jane Rivers has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Most recently, in 2022, she was a founding trustee of He Puāwai with Kokiri Marae, building locally-led food resilience in the Hutt Valley.
Rivers has also been involved with multiple aspects of adult and community education since the 1990s and has chaired Reap Aotearoa since 2015 – an organisation that helps people do various things including getting a driving licence and accessing vaccines.
